Two Halves
by DearTrickster
Summary: Lacey Malta takes her new school experience by the horns, determined to move up from her NOT classes into the elite and dangerous EAT classes. She just needs to find herself a partner in order to get her real education started, easier said than done. This is just the beginning of her story as she ploughs her way into DWMA's history.
1. Chapter 1 A Meister Need's a Weapon

**Chapter 1**

**Meister's Need a Weapon**

**LACEY**

A freshman slouched over her cafeteria lunch tray, surrounded by fellow Death Weapon Meister Academy students. The mess hall buzzed with activity from students of different ages and classes. Especially Advantaged Talent and Normally Overcome Target students mixed with little prejudice.

The young lady sat among a few other NOT students, who were human weapons. Boys and girls from different age groups were interested in becoming her partner. She chatted with them in between bites and in her lap were their dossiers. She hadn't any luck finding a partner in her pool of fellow freshmen and the dossiers were given to her to review by Professor Sid. They all had shown interest and potential in joining the EAT classes, much like herself.

She tossed her recently dyed silvery hair over her shoulder. She took extra care of her appearance of late, wanting to make a good impression on potential partners. Which meant keeping her black roots from showing. Her hair being the only real thing she valued about her appearance. She straightened and for a 13-year-old freshman, she was struggling with growth spurts and unpredictable periods. Her face had begun to slim out while it was spotty with acne, having little to no curves made her easily undistinguishable next to a boy her own age.

Professor Sid told her to find a weapon to compliment her speed and flexibility. She had ranked rather highly in her free running fitness class. She knew that heavy axes, hammers, large guns and even scythes would be far too heavy for her current skill set.

"So, Lacey." The girl to her right caught her attention, "When should we start the last stage, the physical testing? I want to get going on this. I have a few other potential partners I want to try out with as well."

Lacey took a sip of apple juice, enthusiastically nodding. The girl's name was Julie, a weapon student who took the form of a one-handed axe. She had come to DWMA from the Southern USA and her family had supported her decision to leave home. She had studied at DWMA for a year and had needed a new partner after she had fallout with her old one. Julie was tall and slender; her chocolate-brown hair was neatly tucked into a bun.

"This afternoon would be perfect. I'm sure our souls will sync well enough-" Lacey began.

"Sid said you had a lot of trouble finding a partner because of your soul. He said…" Julie interrupted abruptly. She leaned in to whisper but the entire table had gone quiet to hear what she had to say, "He had _warned_ me that syncing with you is like trying to sync with two souls instead of one."

Lacey scoffed and leaned back, flapping her hand in dismissal. "That was just a big fat lie. Sid was just trying to test your gullibility. It looks like you lost if you actually believed what he said." Julie raised her eyebrow at that, Lacey quickly clasped Julie's hand and reassured her, "But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. I can see us becoming best friends." Lacey's eyes shone brightly.

Julie forced a smile and said, "Whatever you say."

"Nope! That was too weird." Julie quickly transformed back to herself, "It felt like the person I was talking to the past couple of days was partying with another person altogether. It's really unstable and I don't think I can trust my _life_ with that weirdness."

"That's ridiculous! Please, let's try again." Lacey said, desperately trying to convince her to have another go at synchronization.

"No way! I might hurt you with zero synchronization. Maybe you should stick in NOT for now. You still have a lot to learn." Julie waved her away and picked up her backpack as she exited the dojo. Lacey was left with a very alive Professor Sid who was the man he used to be, he had supervised the girls' synchronization attempt.

The dojo was pretty quiet for the early afternoon; a pair of students was around practicing and sparring with each other. The other students were too busy with sparring to even notice the three of them.

DWMA had rather large and spacious training rooms for students to take advantage of. Between the running track and outdoor gym facilities, the training areas catered to most skills and interests in physical development. Lacey personally had spent most of her time in the free running gymnasiums, where the school had set up safety nets to catch beginners and high walls to climb for advanced students.

"That was over pretty quick." Sid remarked. Lacey sighed loudly.

"Please Professor, let me try again with someone else. I know I can find a partner in time-" Lacey pleaded. The professor lifted his finger and inclined his head to silence her.

Lacey fidgeted in her spot. She wore a white loose fit off the shoulder shirt that had the death symbol outlined in black on the front. Beneath her white shirt she had a black tank top cover her midriff. She wore black shorts that fit tightly around her skinny thighs. For shoes she stuck to a reliable pair of black running shoes that were a popular choice for gym and exercise among students but Lacey choose to wear them all the time. Her bangs were kept out of her face with a black bandana. It also acted cleverly as a way to cover any spots she missed while dying her hair.

Sid stoically commented, "This is the fifth person you've tried out with. I think Julie might be right, you are still not capable of meshing well with a weapon and should stay in NOT until next semester."

Lacey's face fell a thousand miles, "No! I want to get a start on my EAT education as soon as possible and catch up to my classmates! I must be so far behind." She pleaded, "One more chance, your choice. I just want to do well and get better, Professor. Please know I am being sincere."

"Your sincerity isn't what's being tested here, Lacey." Sid sighed scratching at his headband. "I do have a pair in mind…"

Lacey leaped up and punched the air, "I'll do it! I'll meet with them and if it doesn't work out…" She recomposed herself, "I'll stay in NOT until I can find a suitable partner."

"Thing is, these two have had the same problem finding a meister." Sid explained, "They went separate ways until they decided that they wanted to team up and make sure they had a meister that synced with them. Saying that they would be better together than apart."

Lacey waited a beat and considered, "Two? Two weapons? Wouldn't that be even more difficult than just one person?"

_How am I supposed to work with two people? I can't even work with a single person, _Lacey thought with dread creeping across her mood.

Sid nodded, "In your case, with your apparent duality two weapons maybe able to handle it. It wouldn't be weird to them." He cracked his knuckles, "Question is will you be able to handle the extra workload?"

* * *

**-The Next Day-**

I stood fidgeting again outside Professor Sid's office door. I knew on the other side sat my last chance of getting into EAT classes this semester. The pressure was mounting on the two weapons Sid had personally chosen for me. I want to prove that I had the potential to be something great, someone successful in what I choose to do. I huffed my chest up and straightened my shoulders, stepping through the door to see the two weapons sitting in front of Sid's desk.

They turned simultaneously and regarded me with disappointment. One wore glasses and cropped his hair short and stylish. I glanced at the one on the left, he had an incredible amount of curly brown hair I could hardly see his eyes through all the hair. They stood up at the same time and folded their arms in unison.

I could see the stark difference in their outfits and personalities before they even opened their mouths. The curly-haired boy was wearing a worn out red flannel shirt with black buttons and a pair of stone washed jeans. The shirt he wore beneath it was a band shirt; it was a prism with a rainbow shining through. I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. The boy wearing glasses was wearing dark grey dress pants and a vest matching the colour of his pants, with a dark blue tie. His dress shirt was black with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Professor Sid stood as well and introduced them, "Lacey, please meet Henry." Sid pointed to the boy with curly hair, "and Peter Halloway." He motioned to the boy wearing glasses, "Twin brothers and twin daggers. Henry, Peter this is Lacey Malta, meister."

"It's a pleasure to make your-" I stuck out my right hand and was interrupted.

"Malta? You named yourself after a cartoon character? What a typical freshmen." They shrugged again, in unison.

"It was the first thing I could think of." I said defensively.

"Poor choice, obviously." Peter tsked and turned to address Sid, "A freshmen? That's all ya got?"

"Lacey, the brothers are a few years older and are seniors here. They've collected a few kishin egg souls on their own but when they switched partners they had to give up what they collected to start fresh." The professor sat again, folding his large hands over the desktop. "They are reasonably good students and obviously have some decent experience."

I nodded and hesitated as I closed the office door behind me.

"I feel they would be a good match to help you catch up in class and guide you in combat." Sid finished smiling pleasantly.

Henry spoke up this time, "That's assuming a bit. Who knows if we'll even get along with the pipsqueak? She's so small."

I crossed my arms and gave them both a hard look, "That's among my strengths. I am small and agile." I said proudly.

Peter scoffed, "Compared to what? A falling brick?"

Sid supplied before I could reply, "Lacey has excelled at free running and she is among the fastest freshmen. Someone I believed would compliment duel wielding daggers such as yourselves."

"Speed won't account for much if she can't think for herself." Henry commented drily.

I fumed, "I'm smart enough to tell that this meet and greet has already taken a nose dive."

"Well then eager beaver, since you're so sure that this won't work out. We'll take the only test we'll need to do." Peter suggested and Sid sighed in response.

"What test?" I asked wringing out my hands.

"The touch test." The twins said in unison, holding out their hands palms up.

Peter explained, "It's how we tell whether your soul has any potential. We skip a lot of the stages and processes."

I rolled my eyes, "you can't honestly expect me to agree to this silly-"

"The only thing you have to offer to the table is a lot of hard work, _freshman_. We need to know it'll be worth it. This is how we figure it out, our hands and a single touch will create a circuit and if it's smooth and uninterrupted that means you have some potential." Peter cut me off.

"Circuit?" I turned to Sid waiting for an explanation.

Sid sighed again, "These two aren't only daggers they are kind of like soul magnets. They _claim_ to sense positive and negative charges of the soul." He shrugged. "I've never seen them in action or act like magnets. Just play along."

"This is stupid, professor!" I hissed, "How are these two supposed to be my last chance to get into EAT if they don't even like me?" I pressed my hand to my chest.

"Wow, judgmental." The twins said in unison, to my irritation. They're synchronization was starting to get on my nerves.

"Okay, fine. You know what, first impressions aren't everything. Despite how abrasive you guys are being right now, I know you need my help as much as I need yours." I replied, the twins exchanged a look and I figured they weren't convinced I was even worth the time. For my last chance, Sid wasn't going to make this easy.

"So, what do I do?" I ask.

"Just with one finger you touch both our hands at the same time." Henry replied unfolding his hand.

"Piece of cake." I said reaching out. The twins rolled their eyes in response and were clearly not expecting what happened next.

I gently poked both of their palms and was about to comment sarcastically about how dry their hands were but before I could even begin to form the words I was shot off my feet and thrown out the door to the opposite wall.

I landed haphazardly and saw stars. I put both my hands on the ground and tried to see straight. It happened all too fast. I mumbled the comment I had ready and blinked out of sync.

I saw several different shoes and heard a ton of voices, all of which sounded concerned. My arms suddenly were lifted and I was on my wobbly feet. My head spun and I couldn't distinguish who was speaking and who was holding me up.

"That's never happened before!" I heard someone whisper excitedly.

Another person replied begrudgingly, "It _had_ to be the freshman."

"Who cares? We've never gotten a reaction like that before!" The first voice argued.

"Lacey!" Professor Sid took hold of my face and made me focus.

I smiled and said, "Did I pass?"

"We're heading into physical testing stage tomorrow. These two will take you to see the nurse." He replied.

"Cool. Super cool." I mumbled as the twins continued to chatter excitedly and drag me away to the nurse's office.

**-End of Chapter 1-**


	2. Chapter 2 Black Bird

**Chapter 2**

**Black Bird**

"Amsel, Miss Amsel?" Professor Jekyll called out.

Vanessa Amsel, a 15-year-old senior set to graduate early at the end of the semester, gazed from her notes and replied politely, "Yes, Professor?"

"My dear, you are needed at the nurse's office. You are excused from class." He motioned her to the front of the classroom. Vanessa quickly collected her notebook, textbook and pencil. Placing them neatly into her leather book bag.

Her red-headed partner, Flint MacKay sat to her left he asked quietly, "Do you need me to go with you?" He caught her eye with his bright blue eyes.

She smiled sweetly at him, "That's alright Flint, I'll be fine." He nodded sternly.

"You can borrow my notes on whatever you miss." He promised.

With an appreciative kiss on the cheek she thanked him.

She gracefully rose from her chair and tucked her straight black hair behind her ear. With resounding claps of her black high heels she was out the door. She absentmindedly adjusted her little black dress, smoothing out the wrinkles from sitting.

She confidently found her way through DWMA's hallways and arrived at Nurse Medusa's office.

She let herself in and glanced at the two boys standing outside the office on the opposite wall, she recognized them from her class. Remembering they dropped down to NOT to find a partner. She paid them no mind and walked in seeing her roommate, Lacey Malta sitting up in a bed with the blonde nurse examining her eyes.

Vanessa felt her heart pick up in pace, in short strides she pushed Medusa away and began checking Lacey personally. Her thoughts were racing trying to understand why an afternoon with potential partners could have landed her in the nurse's office.

"What on Death's green Earth happened?" She asked, checking for broken bones.

"YehOWH! Vanessa! Please that hurts!" Lacey swatted away her hands. Medusa cleared her throat.

"Miss Amsel, please. I was just in the middle of checking for a concussion." Medusa guided Vanessa away from her roommate. Worry was stitched into her face.

Vanessa tapped her foot impatiently and quickly took in the nurse's office. The room was lit brightly with natural light from nearby windows; only a few beds were kept in Medusa's office. Her desk had been neatly kept and a standing wooden coat hanger at the entrance had a spare lab coat hanging on it's throngs. A mini fridge was tucked underneath her desk to store temperature sensitive medication and other various things.

Vanessa had only been in here a few times; in her early days of soul collection she had sustained some nasty injuries. Now, it's rare if she walked away from a fight with an injury. She would be the last person to read out her résumé, but creating a death scythe at her age was a feat and had earned her a respectful reputation.

Medusa resumed checking Lacey's pupil dilation. Lacey smiled at her roommate in hopes to calm her down. Vanessa chewed on her index finger.

"It's no big deal, I bumped my head and-"

Vanessa sighed, "On what? I thought you were meeting with potential weapon partners this afternoon." She gasped, sky diving to conclusions, "Did one of them beat you up? I'll kill them!"

She spun around almost out the door before Medusa grasped the back of her dress and sat her down on a stool with surprising force. Vanessa's expression went from anger to confusion in a blink of an eye.

"She crashed against a wall after being propelled by unexpected soul force!" Medusa snapped and grumbled returning to her patient. Lacey wrung out her hands, shocked at Medusa's usually cheerful demeanor turning so quickly.

Vanessa stood again from her stool and paced to the window and folded her arms. Regardless of how Lacey got hurt, Vanessa felt it was her responsibility to look after the reckless freshman. She saw a little of herself in Lacey when she first entered DWMA and Vanessa also knew what kind of trouble she found herself in and wishing she had someone to guide her or advise her against terrible judgment.

Vanessa brushed a few stray hairs from her eyes and recomposed herself, "What does that mean for Lacey?"

Medusa replied calmly, "It means she has a mild concussion."

"I'm sitting right here, you don't have to have this discussion like I'm not here." Lacey huffed.

"Shush, Lace." Vanessa quieted her roommate turning away from the window and her green eyes met Lacey's lilac eyes.

Lacey screwed up her face, but didn't say anything.

"Okay." Medusa stood up and went over to her desk. "Here's an icepack and if you have any difficulty speaking or you have a persistent headache, please head straight to the hospital." She loaded up an icepack with ice and handed it to Lacey.

Lacey gingerly held it against the side of her head, sighing with relief.

"Vanessa, keep an eye on her and please escort her back to the dormitories. You are both excused from afternoon classes and other commitments." Medusa handed Vanessa neatly written doctor's notes. Vanessa gave her a small smile of thanks.

"Yes ma'am." Vanessa stood and motioned for Lacey to follow.

"Thank you for your help." Lacey smiled at Medusa.

"You're welcome my dear." Medusa smiled in return picking up a clipboard. She sat back down to her desk and started to file away her documents.

Vanessa and Lacey stepped through the door and exited the office. Out in the hallway Lacey could see over Vanessa's shoulder that Peter and Henry had waited for her to come out. They were quietly chatting with each other when they heard the girl's open the door.

Vanessa sized them up with a wary eye and said, "Henry and Peter Halloway, I can safely assume you two are to blame for my roommate's concussion then?" She folded her arms.

"The reaction certainly wasn't something we expected," Henry began, shrugging casually.

"Or intended." Peter finished his brother's sentence.

"I want to hear some apologies!" Vanessa demanded. "You gave her a _concussion_! I'm not leaving until I hear it!"

"I don't care, really. It's not big deal." Lacey cut in stepping ahead of her roommate and standing between her and the twins. Lacey thought,_ I am not in the mood to referee a fight._

Peter straightened and removed his glasses, squinting at Vanessa as he spoke, "You should watch that tone of yours, we're not about to be intimidated. We know miss overachiever here isn't anything to be afraid of." He walked right up to Lacey and put a hand her shoulder. "Lacey says it's no big deal, then it's no big deal." Lacey shrugged his hand off.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Vanessa sneered and pulled Lacey away from Peter. "Would you feel so brave if I had Flint to back me up today?" Lacey glared at Vanessa in turn and pulled away from her hand.

Henry glared through his hair, "Even if Flint was here, we aren't so easily scared off. Besides," He pulled Lacey back and she stumbled into him and dropped her icepack. Lacey's face was growing redder by the second. "You should be treating us with more respect as Lacey's new partners."

Lacey shook her head, "Hang on, who said anything about-"

"I wouldn't let her be near such manipulative and scummy heartbreakers like you!" Vanessa pointed accusingly at them and pulled on Lacey's arm to yank her away from Henry but he was still holding her other arm.

Lacey thought angrily, _this is ending right now_!

"Shut up!" She snarled and ripped her arms away from the pair of them.

Vanessa blinked, surprised at Lacey's reaction. She never spoke back to her like that before. Bringing her tone down to speak to Lacey she said, "They could have seriously inju-"

Lacey whirled on Vanessa, "You have no idea who these guys are and they are probably my only chance at getting into EAT!"

"But-" Vanessa started.

"Zip it." Lacey ran her fingers over her mouth, like a zipper. "And you!"

She turned on the twins, "How am I supposed to trust your judgment over us suddenly becoming partners? Don't I have a say in this? How do you know we're even compatible after that "soul force" thing that happened earlier?"

Peter was stuttering, "It w-was a sign! We don't really know either."

"Then we'll take it up with Sid when we go over a physical compatibility test tomorrow." Lacey replied and off balanced she stooped to pick up her icepack.

"You're going to give it a try then?" Henry sounded hopeful.

"Yeah, I'm a _eager beaver_ _freshman._ Remember?" Lacey turned their words back on them.

They flinched at that; Lacey felt a little triumph for the first time all day. She grasped her roommate's arm and guided her away.

The twins exhaled and grinned at each other, then hollered after them, "See you tomorrow, partner!"

-**End of Chapter 2-**


	3. Chapter 3 Never Had A Friend Like Me

**Chapter 3**

**Never Had a Friend Like Me**

Lacey retreated to her bed and grabbed her pillow, she felt her head throb and the ice had melted on the walk back from school. The only escape from Vanessa's lecturing was under the blankets. Their dorm bedroom faced the east side while their beds sat beneath the windows. The school dorm provided wooden desks for students, with enough space to store books on top of it and a few drawers to the right side. Lacey's desk surface was covered in notes and textbooks with only a little open space for writing. Vanessa's was spotless, with bookends keeping her books and study materials neat and tidy.

Lacey grumbled in response beneath the sheets, as she had the entire walk back to the dormitories, "You don't seem to get it, they're my only hope!"

Vanessa tossed her book bag onto her desk, "You just have to wait until you find some _decent_ weapons. They were my classmates." Ripping back the sheets and revealing Lacey, "They're nothing but trouble, trust me."

Lacey punched her pillow, "Are all you seniors this hard to deal with? You're graduating this year; can't you just be happy for me for finding partners that are the _tiniest _bit compatible? I'd appreciate advice over a lecture!"

Vanessa rubbed her temples and sat next to Lacey and stopped her from punching every feather out of her pillow. "Lace, you know I'm trying to convince you to have better judgment right?" Lacey's face scrunched up as she stared at the pillow, "I _know_ better, if you don't have the _right_ partner it could be life or death for EAT students. I don't want you settling for second best, when I know you're too good for them." She finished with absolute sincerity.

"Besides, they're only interested in one thing." She went on. "Don't be so naïve."

Lacey looked confused, not really sure what she was referring to. "They just want to use you to become death scythes." Vanessa gently petted Lacey's head, "That's been their goal since day one. As soon as you defeat a witch they'll run off with each other and leave you high and dry."

Lacey closed her eyes and a frown crept across her features.

"I'm just trying to save you from future loneliness." She said sweetly and smiled reassuringly. Vanessa folded both her hands over Lacey's, "Like you said, I'll be graduating and the last place you're going to find friend's is in two heartbreakers."

"You don't think I can't make any other friends?" Lacey asked quietly.

Vanessa sighed and skirted her question, "I know best, my dear. Please don't go to the physical testing tomorrow. You'll find a partner for next semester and then you can spend the rest of the summer studying for the EAT entrance exams."

"No!" Lacey bit her lip.

Vanessa's expression went from sweet to sour and pulled her hands back into her own lap and hummed, "No? Oh." She tucked her hair behind her ear and her eyes became icy. "Then fine, give them what they want, play right into their hands." Vanessa clutched Lacey's wrists and saw fear flit into her eyes, "Put them to the test; spend a few months with them fighting monsters and collecting souls." She shook Lacey's wrists, "This is why they're here! Don't let them deceive you, watch and see they'll leave you in a blink of an eye!"

Lacey's breath caught in her throat, the intensity from her roommate was sending shivers up her spine. She couldn't describe it, what she felt at the moment her fear sparked a fire and pushed up from the pits of her stomach.

For the second time that day Lacey ripped her hands away from Vanessa's grip and pushed up away from her. The fire was growing and spreading through her every fiber.

"I'm going to be in EAT after the summer and the only way that's going to happen is if I have Peter and Henry as my partners." Lacey stated and stuck a thumb at her chest, "I am not going to be a NOT student for the rest of the year. I made a promise to myself that I was going to make the best of my time here at DWMA. Prove to _everyone_ that I _can_ make it on my own."

Lacey winced at her headache and she continued moving away from her seething roommate, "I'm… I'm not some naïve little girl anymore. I can handle myself!" She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, fighting with her friend like this had set her on edge.

Vanessa held Lacey's gaze for a few seconds, waiting to see a shift in her resolve but was disappointed to find her reckless passion burning without any hope of dying down, at least not in this conversation.

Lacey felt a pang of guilt over Vanessa's disappointment, "You're gonna have to trust me on this, Vanessa. I appreciate the concern." She scooped up her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze, "I really do, and despite what you believe about these guys I'm not going to cry a river when they decide to move on. I have a good feeling this will work out."

"That's what you said about the last three weapons." Vanessa pointed out rising from the bed letting the matter come to a rest. She knew there was no point in continuing the argument.

"I _swear_ this time, give me some credit. I'm working on this intuition thing." Lacey commented lightly, feeling goosebumps smoothing over and the tension leaving her body.

Vanessa smiled and her eyes became warm once again. She stepped out of her heels, rolling her ankles with a light sigh of relief.

"You'll see with the physical part tomorrow, they are definitely not right for you." Vanessa promised. "So don't get your hopes up."

* * *

**PETER**

-**The Next Day-**

The morning sun shined brightly and it seemed rather happy today, a light breeze shifted my hair past my glasses and I brushed it away. I glanced again at my watch and then slipped my thumbs into my belt loops. Shifting my weight to my left leg. My twin brother Henry stood beside me while we waited for Lacey Malta, the first truly promising candidate to become our partner.

Professor Sid had tapped his finger against his styrofoam coffee cup and in his other hand loosely holding a clipboard. He stifled a yawn and stared out at the track.

I had drifted back to our conversation we had yesterday about her.

"It looks like she has some form of a spine, standing up to Amsel." Henry laughed lightly, "Remember how shrewd she was in class? I don't even know how Flint puts up with her." I glanced at Henry; he had been wired up from our chat with Vanessa Amsel.

I grinned, "It's because he worshipped the ground that girl walked on." I scratched at the stubble on my chin, "She won't be a problem, she'll be graduating soon enough. We'll be back in EAT next semester and will only have to fend her off for a bit." I rounded a corner and headed toward the school's exit. "We just have to make sure Lacey sits on the fence between us and her roomie and she'll do most of the work keeping Vanessa off our backs."

Henry hummed in agreement; we decided to skip the rest of the afternoon classes. NOT had been such a drag compared to EAT. The material they covered had me feeling like our intelligence levels were dropping with the lowered expectations. Weapon students were still struggling with complete transformations. I scoffed at their incompetence, _what a joke, we belong in EAT._

We had made it out of the school and started down the stairs toward the parking lot. It was ironic to think we had found our only chance at Death Scythes in a NOT freshman.

"Henry?" I asked walking in sync with him, "are you sure Lacey will be good enough for us?"

I saw him shrug, "I think she's the only hope we have." I nodded; he said what I was thinking. He didn't really make me feel better though.

"The irony." We had commented in unison. I grinned at him and he gave me a matching grin in return. We reached my pride and joy, my 1968 Chevy ragtop Camaro. I patted the hood and whispered, "Miss me babe?"

I heard Henry stifle a laugh, "You have been fawning over that car ever since you got it up and running again."

I turned on him defensively, "It took me _months!_ Of course I'm proud of my hard work." I turned back to the car and whispered, "It's okay babe he didn't mean it."

Henry laughed again and I listed off the reasons why I didn't _just_ get it up and running again, "I restored her original paint job and her racing stripes. I carefully pieced together the rusted heap of dust that was the engine. Replaced the interior with real leather that again, took me _months _to save up for."

Henry rolled his eyes, "Just open the friggin door and let's go home." I did just that and continued to list off everything I had done on our drive back.

I blinked back to the present in time for Lacey's entrance as she finally showed up. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and her face was red and splotchy. I rolled my eyes and thought, _this girl is going to be more work than for what its worth._

"I am so sorry, I asked Vanessa to set the alarm clock and she had forgotten." Lacey apologized, catching her breath.

_Or she intentionally meant for you to miss this,_ I thought and shared a glance with Henry. He shared the same skeptical look I was wearing.

"Whatever, you're here now so let's go." I said cracking my knuckles.

Professor Sid nodded in agreement, "Lacey you know what to do, concentrate and be open. For first time transformations-"

She waved at him and said, "Yeah I know, be open and drop all preconceived notions and feelings. I know what to do, Professor." Sid looked skeptical and then backed away a few steps. I wondered what kind of failed attempts Lacey had for Sid to take caution. Then I remembered she blew his office door off with the soul force yesterday and stopped wondering.

I shook my head and concentrated on clearing my mind and soul. I felt the negative and opposite charge of my brother beside me but also felt the complete and negative charge from Lacey as well. I transformed and sent my steel wristband to her left wrist.

I opened my eyes and a few seconds later saw my brother appear beside me, both our minds mingled in the collective consciousness of our meister. I felt the negative charge but also a positive soul charge. I looked to Henry and saw my confusion mirrored.

I showed my face in the blade and looked up at Lacey and in my distorted voice I asked, "What the hell is going on?"

She was grinning happily, "I don't know, but it feels great! I'm still on my feet too!"

Henry inhaled slowly and exhaled, he appeared in his blade as well, "I feel the soul charge from Peter but also…" He closed his eyes concentrating, "From Lacey? It's feels… complete." He said slowly, I looked at him as if he had two heads.

I started, "This is impossible! Nobody can have a soul completely negative and completely positive at the same time! There's a one in a million chance of that happening."

Professor Sid scratched at his headband and shrugged nonchalantly, "I can sense complete synchronization. So I don't see any problems." I tried wrapping my head around it. Professor Sid gave me the word I was looking for. "Her soul is completely balanced. You guys can't see her soul but I can." Sid took flipped through his clipboard and scribbled what he saw. He held up the image of a circle with a line dividing a dark half and blank half. "I didn't really understand the implications of her duality but I guess we do now."

I squinted at it through my blade and stuttered, "I-I ca-can't believe it."

Henry patted my shoulder and laughed at me, "Bro! It's okay! This means we're 100% compatible with her."

We transformed back into our regular bodies and I removed my glasses, looking at Lacey in a new light. Her soul was the perfect balance between positive and negative. I never dreamed of someone with a soul like hers ever existing.

Lacey spoke up, "Hang on, so being balanced means what?"

Henry explained as a smile grew, "Peter and I are soul magnets. My soul is almost completely negative and Peter's is almost completely positive. Everybody's soul is made up of a bit of both, some more negative than positive and vice versa." He poked his chest to emphasize, "My brother and I are the extremes of positive and negative."

I glanced away and rubbed the spots from my glasses trying to hide my overwhelming excitement. _A new project to work on,_ I thought.

"It's why we weren't nearly as compatible with anybody as we are _clearly _with you." I stressed and put my glasses back on.

I could see the cogs in Lacey's brain turn as she processed the information and then her face split into a grin. She launched herself at us and linked our arms, "That settles it! We're partners!"

I smiled approvingly, "I guess so."

"Hell yeah!" Henry hooted, "We're back on track!"

Professor Sid smiled and said, "I'll get the paperwork together and make it official."

**-End of Chapter 3-**


	4. Chapter 4 Kaleidoscope

**Chapter 4**

**Kaleidoscope**

**HENRY**

**-1 Month Later-**

I sat at a table in DWMA's expansive library, skimming over my old notes and doodling some spirals in the margins. I had been quietly listening to one of my favourite albums helping the time to pass more easily. I checked my CD player's battery again and rooted around in my bag to have them ready when it died. My new partner, Lacey Malta was reading a few passages from a textbook about soul perception basics. I flipped through my notes and skimmed to find soul resonance. I poked my twin brother, Peter and showed him my notes.

He nodded and showed me his notes while sipping out of an Uncle Bob's coffee cup. Peter leaned forward and tapped the page Lacey was reading. She glanced up and he had her attention. I readjusted myself in my seat and removed my headphones letting them sit around my neck.

"This stuff is basic and easy, move on to the soul resonance material that EAT classes are currently studying. They'll be sure to cover that more on the exam than these basics." Peter whined, pushing his notebook forward and was eyeing her over the top of his glasses. Our Dad always did that, when he didn't want to push his glasses up in between talking to us and reading.

"Here are my notes on it. We were in the middle of it before we dropped down to NOT." Peter said sitting back in his chair with a creak. I glanced around and we were the only ones here for most of the night. No doubt everybody else was out actually enjoying their Saturday night.

Lacey quickly glanced over his notes and pushed it away, "I need to memorize the basics regardless of what the focus will be on the test. I haven't had all semester to work through this stuff like every other EAT student. I need to cram it all before the test." She glanced back down at her textbook, "You guys insist that I need to be equally prepared for the written test as well as the physical."

I plopped my notes on her page and said, "Duh, now get to work." I saw her eye twitch. I started to fold a paper triangle and ignored her glare.

She sat back and started to rub her eyes, "That's what I've been _trying_ to do, and you guys keep interrupting me." I flicked my paper triangle and it hit her on the forehead. She snatched it up and threw it at me and I laughed dodging it.

"We're motivating you." Peter gave her his fakest smile picking up the triangle and crumpled it in his hand he leaned forward again, picked up his notes and dropped them on top of my notes, "Seriously, focus on our notes."

She gave him a deadpan stare and mumbled, "I need a pee break."

I rolled my eyes and together we said, "You had one a half hour ago."

"I drink a lot of water." She replied drily and walked out of the library.

I watched her leave and sat back in my chair with a huff. It was like we were bashing our heads against a brick wall. Lacey was just so unnecessarily defiant. I turned to Peter and he was already skimming through another textbook and marking off pages for her to study. At this time of night I just felt my brain shutting down while he was just full of energy.

"Bro, I'm getting tired." I complained and slouched over resting my chin on the table.

"Then just sit back and rest your eyes if you're tired. I can continue studying with her." He said calmly and wrote down a jot note on a sticky note, which read _my brother is a lazy bastard _in the neatest cursive I've ever seen. He pushed some hair out of the way and stuck it on my forehead.

I mumbled ripping off the note, "I'm not the only one who's tired. Lacey is losing focus faster than I am."

Peter slammed the book shut and made me flinch. "Oh whatever. Let's get out of here; we might still have enough time to do something actually fun with our Saturday night."

I grinned, "That's so spooky bro, I was just thinking the same thing."

* * *

**LACEY**

I made it to the bathroom and leaned against the sink.

"Those guys are such slave drivers. I can motivate myself, I know how to friggin' study." I convinced my reflection, "Why are they so insistent on helping me? Don't they have anything better to worry about?" I took a gulp and very briefly thought, _they are just insuring their investment comes up with results._ I shook my head and said out loud "I can't worry about that now."

I checked my watch, it was 8 o'clock and we had been studying for a few hours. I noticed the bruises along my arms and legs and made a mental note to get myself some elbow and kneepads for training.

I thought about the twins and how their personalities haven't gotten easier to deal with. They tease me about my petite figure and lack of strength. It was clear that they had zero interest outside a working relationship with me. Which was a relief because Vanessa was right about one thing, their reputations for being heartbreakers.

They hopped from relationship to relationship, usually being the ones to do the dumping, leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way. I had seen a week ago when we stopped by Henry's locker and he opened it up, love letters poured out.

I thought _I haven't even received one love letter. I thought since nobody knows me here I'd at least have _some _secret admirers. _I tucked stray hairs into my bandana; _I've only got a pair of weapons that like to order me around_ and exited the bathroom, bumping right into the boys. I blushed slightly and mumbled, "S'cuse me."

They looked unimpressed and I saw in their arms they had all of our books and notes. "We're going home, here's your stuff." Henry placed my backpack on the ground. _Finally, _I thought_._

"Cutting out early?" I asked coolly.

The boys shared a glance and Peter said, "You can't focus and we're getting seriously bored."

I put my hands on my hips, "Not my fault."

Henry ignored me and commented, "Our notes on soul resonance are in your bag, please read them tonight."

"Yessir." I said sarcastically, another order to follow.

Peter snapped, "Cut the sarcasm out. Just read the damn notes."

Henry put a hand on Peter's shoulder, "C'mon, let's go." He reasoned.

Peter shrugged his brother's hand off and turned away. "She isn't hitching a ride from us." Henry deflated and Peter began to walk away.

Henry checked his watch and said, "You should probably hurry if you want to catch the next bus. Don't forget about training tomorrow morning." He caught up and they left me alone in the hall.

I grumbled to myself, "I don't need a ride and I just _love_ spending my Sunday mornings with you guys."

I scooped up my belongings and grumbled the entire walk to the bus stop. I plopped down on the bench and I was completely on my own. I listened to the silence and exhaled, thankful for a moment alone. The boys had been surgically attached to my hip for every moment of prep for the EAT entrance exams.

Vanessa still thinks I'm making a horrible choice. Every time the twins are brought up she manages to slip in a passive aggressive comment.

I shook my head, hoping to shake off the doubt. _Vanessa thinks they're using me; well I'm using them! I'll show her; one-day I'll be good enough to go on missions with her and together we'll be the best team this school has ever seen._ I thought. _Despite how annoying she has been with my choice in partners, she's my best friend!_ Vanessa was the only friend I've had in really long time and I wasn't about to spoil it.

I stared up into the sky and saw the sun setting lazily dipping beneath the horizon. I blinked slowly letting my thoughts drift. I squinted at a black figure zipping past the sun and fly behind the school. I squinted again looking for it and it never reappeared.

I watched the spot where the figure disappeared and thought, _I wish I could fly._ The bus' headlights shone across my vision and made me shield my eyes. I stood up from my bench and waited for it to stop and open its doors. I stepped up and deposited my change to cover the fare.

"Good evening." The bus driver nodded.

I took a window seat near the front and zoned out while the bus drove through busy Friday night Death City streets. About 10 minutes later I arrived at the girl dormitories and made my way up the long drive way.

Most of the windows were dark save for the main foyer and common areas I could spot from outside. The building resembled that of what would be suitable for French aristocrats instead of teenagers. I had never even thought living in a place as fancy as this. I walked into the main foyer and spotted the little fortune-telling girl, we made eye contact and I waved a little.

Her name was Kana Altair; she was always using her tarot cards to give passerby's their fortune. Her hood was drawn up and I approached her as she shuffled her cards.

"Hey Kana, have you seen Vanessa tonight?" I asked smiling. Kana was a quiet oddball, even for a DWMA student. I liked her all the same; she was cute as a button.

Kana shuffled her cards and picked one out. She showed me the Lovers card reversed. She shook her head and replaced the card.

I rooted around in my pockets and put a sucker on the table and said, "Thanks Kana, I'll see you later." She huffed in response and picked up the candy.

I walked up a couple of flights of stairs to the third floor and let myself into my room. I flipped on the light switch and I was alone. I placed my bag on my bed and opened up the window to get a breeze. I stretched and moved to my desk and brought my radio up off from underneath and plugged it in. I tuned it and started listening to some new pop tunes and smiled knowing that music snob Henry would smash the radio to pieces.

I collapsed on my bed and pulled out the notes from my bag and read over Henry's notes. His handwriting was chicken scratch, and I squinted at the words trying to decipher them. Pushing them away and I rolled onto my belly and listened to the weather report. I felt goosebumps up my spine and flinched looking around. I cautiously moved to the radio and turned it off straining to listen. I heard some steps come across the floorboard outside the room and I quickly shut off the light. I stepped behind the door and it swung open and bustling into the room entwined in each other's arms was Vanessa and Flint.

I covered my eyes and heard all their muffled and heated breathes and I had never felt more embarrassed, I peaked out and caught glimpses of their tongues darting in and out of their mouths I covered my eyes again and quietly escaped through the door.

I stepped quickly down the stairs and headed to the common lounge area. I collapsed onto a couch across from Eternal Feather. I slapped my cheeks trying to get rid of the huge blush and I looked up and Eternal Feather was regarding me curiously over her glasses. She had her usual braids untied tonight and was relaxing with a book. Eternal Feather was a NOT weapon student, she was modestly dressed and seemed a little mousey. She earned her strange name from Kim Diehl, the witch of the girl's dormitories. She had signed her name change form and then forced Eternal Feather to pay up for the paperwork on a name she didn't even like.

"Oh Lacey, how did your studying go today?" She smiled politely.

I exhaled and asked, "Is it possible to sense intentions and souls?"

Eternal Feather looked puzzled and said, "I'm not sure. What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think I just sensed Vanessa's… _intentions_ for Flint when they entered our room. Like, I got a weird chill up my spine."

Eternal Feather blushed and said, "That is strange. Has this sort of thing happened before?"

"Yeah this morning when I was training with Henry and Peter. It was in the girls' change room." I started.

* * *

**-Earlier that Day- **

I had run a few laps on the outdoor track, the May sun was warm and ensured spring was here to stay. I checked my watch again as I saw the twins approaching, 8:30 AM. They were 30 minutes late.

"Hey sleeping beauties! Why are you so late?" I jogged up to them. Both of them had a bad case of bed head.

"Argh, the alarm didn't go off." Henry supplied and yawned. Peter squinted at the bright morning sun and hissed under his breath.

I caught his hiss and asked, "What's up with you?"

Peter dropped his bag and glared at her, "I am _not_ a morning person."

"Clearly." I raised an eyebrow. "You were never this grumpy before."

"Clearly you don't pay any frickin' attention." Peter snapped.

I rolled my eyes and brought my hands up, "Whatever just transform and let's go. Yeesh."

In a bright blue light the twins transformed into their weapon forms, a pair of Fairbairn-Sykes fighting daggers. A pair of silver bangles flashed onto my wrists and in my hands I gripped the leather spiral handles. I glanced at the blades; Peter was in my right hand with a steely silver blade while it's edge was a black line. Near the hilt on both sides of the blade was a + sign, it symbolized his positive charge. On my right wrist was the negative bangle.

I glanced at Henry, Peter's identical twin until in weapon form; his blade was black while his edge was steely silver. At his hilt was a – sign, it symbolized his negative charge. On my left wrist was the positive bangle.

I felt our moods and emotions blend seamlessly, the boys liked to refer to the feeling of synchronization as completing the circuit.

Henry fidgeted and his face appeared along the blade, "It still feels weird to be syncing so well with you, Lacey. It's not something we believed would be possible."

Peter grumbled in agreement, his face also showing along the blade.

I smiled in spite of myself, "It feels like you two are a natural extension of my arm. That's how it's supposed to feel right?"

Henry replied cheerfully, "That's right. A lot of sword meisters say the same about their partners. It wouldn't be too much of leap to assume that feeling could extend to daggers."

Peter grumbled again. I continued to smile, if Peter was grumbling at least it wasn't a snappy comment.

I rolled my shoulders and my wrists and loosened up, bouncing from left to right. I turned and targeted the dummies along the track and declared, "Soul Lasso!" as I began our training.

* * *

**-2 Hours later-**

I entered the girls change room and stripped away my sweat stained hoodie and sweatpants. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself as I entered the communal shower room.

I saw a couple of other girls showering and greeted them with a friendly wave and hung up my towel. I tucked the bar of soap under my arm. Letting the steamy water wash over my head I let out a light sigh.

I rinsed my hair down and inspected it for split ends, finding none I closed my eyes and felt goosebumps prickled all over my body. I moved my head out of the water stream and looked around the bathroom, I saw the other girls were chatting as they showered. I returned and concentrating on shampooing my hair and the feeling didn't disappear.

I thought, _this is weird I don't see anything strange but maybe I can sense something… _I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to practice my soul perception. See if it really was just me feeling weird or if I had a reason to. I sensed the souls of the girls behind me but felt another soul above them, in the ventilation shaft.

I gasped and growled "Girls! Get your towels! We have a peeping tom!"

They gasped and growled angrily. I quickly shut off the water and wrapped my towel around myself and heard a quiet, "aw man" from above. In a flash of light I saw one of the girls transform into a huge two-handed hammer and her friend with impressive strength threw her into the ventilation shaft above them and I saw a blue haired boy drop to the wet floor. She had torn the shaft in two and landed on the other side of the floor taking out a few tiles on her landing.

"Who is this guy?" I asked with disgust.

The other girl changed back into her human form and said, "That's Black*Star, the worst pervert in school. I thought we'd be okay on the weekend."

He recovered quickly and was back on his feet shouting, "The great Black*Star uses his assassin techniques to peep and escape!" He produced a smoke bomb from his pocket and with his teeth pulled the string, it exploded and he dashed away cackling loudly.

The smoke was stinging my eyes and I rubbed them irritably, I coughed waving my hand hoping to get rid of it. I blinked and the smoke began to dissipate, the hammer meister asked "How did you know he was there?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, I felt a creepy crawly feeling and then used my soul perception to check around."

The hammer girl gasped, "That's so useful! Is it okay if we ask you to shower with us next time? We hate that guy!"

I laughed a little embarrassed, "Sure if I'm not busy or anything."

I turned away and hung up my towel again turning on the faucet, I finished with my shower. Quickly drying off in the change room I chatted with the girls, as we got dressed. They promised to find me next time they showered at school and I agreed to help them out. I met up with the twins outside the change rooms, and they looked curious.

"We heard some ruckus earlier, what was that?" Peter asked his mood had improved significantly since this morning.

I smiled and winked, "You guys lucked out, I have natural soul perception but I can sense when perverts are near!" she exclaimed and then asked, "Guess what?"

They asked in unison, "What?"

"It's working overtime right now!" I laughed.

The twins glared and said in unison, "Whatever."

-**End of Chapter 4-**


	5. Chapter 5 Welcome to Eat!

**Chapter 5**

**Welcome to EAT!**

**LACEY**

I stood outside the classroom door and felt my heart beating steadily. I was going over everything I had studied and was trying to convince myself I was absolutely ready for this. I twisted the doorknob and saw Professor Sid waiting at the front of the lecture hall. He motioned for me to take a seat. The bright natural light from the morning sun lit up the room decently on its own but the wall candles were still lit.

Despite having fluorescent lights installed a long time ago, the school still maintained and used candles as more of an aesthetic choice.

I walked up the stairs and sat near the aisle in the second row. I took a seat and pulled out my pencil and eraser from my pocket. I didn't bother packing my backpack with me today; it'd just be empty.

I glanced around and spotted Kim Diehl's pink head to the left. _I didn't know she was trying to get into EAT_ I thought curiously _I suppose she wanted to be in the same classes as Jackie. _My eyes narrowed, _She won't know what hit her once I get into my advanced training. _She glanced at me, stuck her tongue out and flipped me off. I felt my blood boil.

I had a few run in's with Kim at the girls dormitory. She had attempted to make me pay her for using the kitchen or the bathroom. It resulted getting into a few fistfights with her, which I lost every time. Kim is way stronger than I am and thankfully a black eye meant I didn't have to pay up.

I had promised myself I would get stronger, if not for my own sake but to get back at the witch of the girls dormitory. I clenched my fist furiously.

Professor Sid cleared his throat and brought my attention to the front. He passed out the test faced down and explained as he made his rounds to the seven other students. "Please begin your tests when I start the clock. You have one hour to complete the exam." He walked back to the front and stood beside the large clock. "Please remain silent and if you finish your exam before the timer is done please wait until it is. I will post the exam results later this afternoon after I'm done grading them." Professor Sid announced and pressed a red button, the timer began and I flipped the test over and read the first few questions.

I took a deep steadying breath and found the answers coming to me with little difficulty. All the studying I did was finally paying off. The minutes ticked by and I tried my best to ignore them when I got stuck on a few questions.

I glanced around at the other students and some others were having difficulty and although there were a few who had already finished their test and were relaxing. I refocused my efforts and punched through the more difficult questions. I came across more questions about soul resonance and instantly regretted not focusing on the notes Henry gave me.

"Five more minutes!" Professor Sid announced as I punctuated my final answer. I quickly skimmed and double-checked my questions and answers when the last minute ran on the clock I finished rewriting a sentence and then pushed the test away with a nervous exhale.

Professor Sid collected the papers and dismissed us. I checked my hands and they were shaking. I whispered as I went out the door, "That was beyond nerve-wracking."

Kim answered my comment, "Tell me about it. I thought my straight-laced partner laid it on thick with her insisting on all that studying we did."

I raised my eyebrow, "Not going to enforce a toll for exiting the exam?"

Kim rolled her eyes at me and pushed me out of the way, "Shut up."

I stuck my tongue out at her back and saw the twins walk toward me.

They looked about just as anxious as I had felt.

Henry started, "So? How do you think you did?" He had his hair pulled up into a ponytail so I could see his face clearly for once.

"Shouldn't you guys be in class?" I asked and pulled them away from the classroom, and checked to make sure Sid wasn't paying attention.

"Who cares about NOT class? We couldn't sit through class knowing you were taking your exam." Peter insisted. "Now spill."

I shrugged, "I think I did alright. I don't want to jinx myself."

"That's the worst answer ever." Peter complained.

"We'll see when the Professor posts the results this afternoon." I said reassuringly. "I was sweating in my seat so buy me can of death pepper."

"We can go sneak in more training instead." Peter suggested and dragged Henry and I toward the gym.

* * *

-**The Next Day-**

I stretched and warmed up my muscles while Professor Sid explained the rules of the obstacle course. I had checked my results from the written exam and I needed a 65% to pass and I scored an 80%. The twins were pleased with me for once and had insisted the obstacle course is the easy part.

"You and your partners will be making your way through the obstacle course as quickly as possible. You will be graded on your effective use of the skills you picked up in free running and combat classes. At the end of the course you will meet with one EAT team from the class you'll be joining and you must get past them if you are to complete the course." Professor Sid explained pointing at the end of the course through all the walls to climb, the tightrope to cross and the polls I had to jump on.

The platforms were metallic grey and just like the practice ones, they could be retracted back into the floor, the walls could also be retracted back into the floor. It saved on space and made for easy design and customization of obstacle courses for students and staff to use.

I had practiced on little parts of the course but never all at once. I gulped down my nerves and steadied my hands. I gripped the twins in their weapon forms and said, "Piece of cake."

Professor Sid raised his brow at that and said, "Good luck. I'll sound the start with a horn."

"Sounds good." I said confidently. Sid took up position near the middle off to the side to watch. I quickly placed Henry and Peter to idle on the bangles, and left my hands free for climbing. I made eye contact with Sid and nodded to signal I was ready.

The air horn sounded and I raced forward, climbing the small wall I swung my legs over and dropped down the twins hooted "Yes!" and I ran to the next wall and grunted as I pulled myself up the rope and slid down and pushed off as I rolled on my landing absorbing it.

I pulled myself up the third wall and already felt some strain in my arms. I was near the top and my hand slipped off the edge and I swung back in my attempts to hurry. The boys transformed and landed on the wall's platform, they grabbed my free hand and hauled me up. On my feet they transformed back onto my wrists and without missing a beat I said, "Good call!"

I sprinted to the edge of the platform and saw the 20 feet length of tightrope I had to cross to reach the other platform, Henry warned me, "Careful! Take your time with this one, concentrate on which foot is going where."

I took a deep breath in and began crossing whispering under my breath, "Left, right, left, and right."

I kept my balance and then cartwheeled at the end and smiled and faced the poll field. Peter scoffed, "Don't get so bold, there's no room for stylish maneuvers like that." He suggested, "Don't pause when you cross the poles, don't even pause to _breathe_."

I jumped and found my way across the skinny polls; there was only enough surface area for the tip of my toes. I zipped left and right following my center of gravity and crossed the field with zero hesitation. I slid down the final pole and found myself against more walls, there were a few feet between the two walls and I knew I had to wall jump to get up to the top.

I jumped up on the right wall and used the momentum to push off and felt my feet slip from underneath me and I fell. "Oof!" I grunted crouching; I felt the pops of my joints in my kneecaps as I stood back up.

"Try again!" The twins encouraged me in unison.

I tried again and felt the sweat bead at my brow as I successfully wall jumped to the top. I looked around and saw the ledges on the wall to climb down safely. I looked down and saw a narrow beam I had to run along to the final part of the obstacle course. I saw the team that I had to face waiting patiently. I knew I lost a few seconds when I fell so I peaked over the edge again and began to back away from the ledge getting ready to run.

"That's a terrible idea." Peter knew what I was planning.

"It's a great idea." I said smiling devilishly.

"But wait-" Henry began I ran and leapt off the platform, aiming for the tiny catwalk. They screamed as we fell and I hooted in a rush of adrenaline.

I rolled several times after I landed and felt my calves' cramp. I got back to my feet and ignored the pain. The twins were angrily shouting at me as I ran and jumped off the final ledge and faced my soon to be peers.

The boy with swirly glasses was holding a yellow jagged lance and was dressed rather studiously.

He regarded me with a smile and said, "Hi, I'm Ox. This is my partner, Harver." Harver's face appeared in the spear. "Watched you jump off that platform. Are you crazy? That was plainly illogical."

The twins shouted in unison, "It was dumb!"

"Saved me a few seconds." I said, pulling Peter and Henry back into my hands. I moved into a fighting stance and watched him hold his partner out in front of him.

"Here I come." He said quietly and dashed forward and I dodged it by stepping left and deflecting his sweep at my feet with Henry in my left hand. He had attempted to jab and successfully landed a few blows with the staff. He knocked me off my feet with a blow to my right shoulder and I landed flat on my ass, I quickly got back on my fee. I circled looking for an opening but he blocked my view of the finish line. He was just slowing me down.

I found myself impressed by his technique, it was precise and every move was calculated. This was the skill and level of advancement I would expect to see for myself. I licked my lips and thought _I'll need to knock him off his feet to keep him down._

Peter said smoothly, "His soul is pretty positive. You know what to do."

I grinned and quickly threw both daggers past Ox, he flinched thinking I for him but the daggers whizzed right by him. Peter and Henry directed themselves past each other crossing over. They zoomed straight back into my hands and I shouted before Ox's next move.

"Soul Lasso!" I could see the golden lasso wrap around Ox's soul it tightened as I pulled, he body shot forward with unexpected speed.

I stopped him inches away from my face and I could see how confused he was, I whispered, "Magnet push." He shot backwards with the same impressive force that brought him forward and he fell back against the wall, completely disorientated.

I ran past him and crossed the finished line. I heard Sid sound the air horn for a second time and my face broke into a huge grin. I pumped my fists in the air and cupped my hands around my mouth whooping loudly. Peter and Henry returned to their human forms and were high fiving each other.

"We did it! We did it!" we chanted in celebration.

Professor Sid joined us and was grinning he gave us thumbs up. He quickly scribbled down the final time from the stopwatch and marked a few more boxes.

"That last jump was pretty gutsy, Malta." Sid commented.

I smiled realizing how much thought I didn't give that jump I rubbed my calves. "Did you deduct some points because of it?"

"Climbing down a wall is just as important as surviving the fall. Besides," He grinned, "We need those kinds of guts in EAT." He gave me my test score it was 89% in red pen, "Congratulations and welcome to EAT."

-**End of Chapter 5-**


End file.
